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UFC Fight Night Singapore truly proved to be a diamond in the rough, with every fighter on the prelims as well as the main card leaving it all inside the Octagon.
Despite starting the fight to a steadily rising crescendo of boos, UFC Singapore’s headliners Holly Holm and Bethe Correia put on a surprisingly educative performance, that saw The Preacher’s Daughter obliterate the Pitbull via a beautiful kick-turned-head kick, that finished Correia much like the infamous ‘head kick heard around the world’ that Holm landed on Ronda Rousey back in 2015.
The co-main event saw Andrei Arlovski survive a brutal barrage of ground-and-pound and almost finish his Polish opponent on the feet toward the end of the first round; only for the young gun to display the heart of a lion and fight back in the highly entertaining battle of wills.
Furthermore, former Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos made a statement by dominating Welterweight Tarec Saffiedine in the bout that opened the main card. Elsewhere, Colby Covington put the 170-pound division on notice by out-grappling and out-striking fan-favorite Dong Hyun Kim.
Additionally, the prelims also featured several noteworthy performances. Below are the complete UFC results for UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Correia:
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#1 Holly Holm vs Bethe Correia
Holly Holm started off cautious, as is customary of most of her fights – be it MMA or her performances during her boxing days. On the other hand, Correia, surprisingly maintained decent posture as well as displayed good footwork and ring awareness throughout the main event matchup, right until she got clocked by the HH head kick from hell.
Correia got a nice clinch on Holm during their tentative exchanges however the round ended and both fighters were separated. This is something Holm’s going to have to work on when up against a more seasoned grappler such as Amanda Nunes, Cat Zingano or Julianna Pena.
The crowd weren’t pleased by Holm and Correia’s initial inactivity. They booed and booed, until lo and behold, Holm pulls off one of the most brutal knockouts in WMMA history.
The Preacher’s Daughter reigns supreme.
Holly Holm def. Bethe Correia via KO (head kick and punch) (Round 3, 1:09)
#2 Marcin Tybura vs Andrei Arlovski
Marcin Tybura had the fight in his kitty, when all of a sudden the Arlovski of old returned, and almost turned back the clock by feeding ‘Tybur’ an insane barrage of knuckle sandwiches.
Had the flurry, that came at the end of round 1, gone on a bit longer, we would possibly be talking about a Pitbull resurgence here, like most of us always do when Arlovski pulls off a vintage win.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Tybura and Arlovski fought a close fight over the course of Rounds 2 and 3, with Tybura finishing out the fight on top. This may have been Arlovski’s last fight in the UFC.
Marcin Tybura def. Andrei Arlovski via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 28-27, 29-27)
#3 Colby Covington vs Dong Hyun Kim
Colby Covington talked the talk and walked the walk, and that is something we ought to give him credit for.
Covington stuck to Kim like glue and out-grappled the judoka, besides landing a few decent flurries in the standup exchanges as well.
In the end, Covington walked away with an impressive win, and I think it’s safe to say that the UFC Welterweight division has a new contender.
Colby Covington def. Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 20-27)
#4 Rafael Dos Anjos vs Tarec Saffiedine
RDA came into this fight with The Sponge, with considerable pressure on him, having lost via highlight reel KO to Eddie Alvarez and dropped a decision to Tony Ferguson.
Nevertheless, Dos Anjos’ performance against Saffiedine served as a reminder of the force that the former UFC LW Champion was at Lightweight. RDA beat Saffiedine on all fronts, and I’m extremely intrigued to see how far he can go in the 170-pound division.
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Tarec Saffiedine via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
#1 Jon Tuck vs Takanori Gomi
Jon Tuck decimated former Pride Champion Takanori Gomi.
The fight was brief, and right from the get-go, Tuck threw first and threw hard, wobbling Gomi with a front kick to the head and another to the body. He jumped on his hurt opponent and finished Gomi off with a Rear Naked Choke.
Jon Tuck def. Takanori Gomi via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) (Round 1, 1:12)
#2 Walt Harris vs Cyril Asker
Harris vs Asker was… well, a ‘Heavyweight’ Heavyweight fight.
Although Asker seemed to have Harris hurt, albeit momentarily, the latter came back to viciously knock out Asker, finishing him with a brutal barrage of ground strikes.
Walt Harris def. Cyril Asker via TKO (Punches and Elbows) (Round 1, 1:44)
#3 Alex Caceres vs Rolando Dy
Alex Caceres took on Rolando Dy in an entertaining matchup, that saw him drop Dy in Round 1 and almost secure the submission finish after taking the latter’s back.
Nevertheless, Caceres would go on to impress over the course of two Rounds, following which the fight was called off as Dy’s right eye was injured.
Despite the fact that Dy was cleared to continue after the doctor looked at him, the referee called off the bout in lieu of the safety of Rolando Dy, thereby awarding Caceres the victory via TKO.
Alex Caceres def. Rolando Dy via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) (Round 2, 5:00)
#4 Ulka Sasaki vs Justin Scoggins
Ulka Sasaki channelled his inner Rocky Balboa and grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat, in spite of being dropped twice during his fight against Justin Scoggins.
Scoggins had Sasaki badly hurt both in Rounds 1 and 2, but somehow managed to let Sasaki reverse positions straight into mount, following which the latter finished Scoggins after securing the Rear Naked Choke.
Ulka Sasaki def. Justin Scoggins via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) (Round 2, 3:19)
#5 Li Jingliang vs Frank Camacho
Li Jingliang put on an excellent performance against Frank Camacho by weathering the early storm and dictating the pace over the course of their three-round fight.
It’s essential to note that Camacho had taken this fight on short notice, and that may have played a role in him fading in the latter stages of the fight, starting from the two-minute mark of Round 2.
Regardless, Jingliang maintained his composure and seemed unfazed by the heavy leather slung by his feisty foe taking home the win on the judges’ scorecards.
Li Jingliang def. Frank Camacho via Unanimous Decision (29-27, 28-27, 29-27)
#6 Russell Doane vs Kwan Ho Kwak
Russell Doane put on a show for the fans in Singapore, knocking out Kwan Ho Kwak in the very first Round.
Both fighters were working for position in the clinch when Doane absolutely blasted Kwak and knocked him out after a brief flurry.
Russell Doane def. Kwan Ho Kwak via KO (Punches) (Round 1, 4:09)
#7 Naoki Inoue vs Carls John de Tomas
Naoki Inoue fought an excellent fight throughout the grappling sequences against Tomas.
Although he didn’t quite impress on the feet as much as he did on the mat, his transitions against Tomas were excellent, and he almost had the submission finish on multiple occasions during their three-round matchup.
Nevertheless, Inoue walked away with a clear-cut decision after a dominant display of grappling prowess.
Naoki Inoue def. Carls John de Tomas via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
#8 Lucie Pudilova vs Ji Yeon Kim
Lucie Pudilova took on Ji Yeon Kim in a weird fight.
Neither fighter had much success in this one and I most definitely feel that Kim should have got the judges’ nod, instead of Pudilova.
Regardless, Pudilova did get in a decent guillotine attempt towards the end of the fight, but when you talk about the striking exchanges, Kim seemed to be the more polished of the two.
Granted that this fight may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d like to see a rematch between the two of them in the near future, as I truly believe both fighters seemed to be holding back from showcasing their complete skill-set in this fight.
For now, Pudilova remains one-up on Kim, with a UD victory.
Lucie Pudilova def. Ji Yeon Kim via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
